Africa
Describe the Belgian Congo: how did Belgium get control? What did they claim was their mission? What did they actually do? What was the international reaction?
King Leopold II negotiated treaties with local rulers for control of Congo; claimed they were there to spread Christianity and end slavery; actually exploited African rubber workers, killing 10million(!!!); international humanitarian backlash against exploitation, but other European powers wanted more colonies
Discuss early European relations in India: How did the BEIC start? What was the Mughal Dynasty? What happened at the Battle of Plassey? What were Sepoys?
BEIC started as trading company on the coast; Mughal Dynasty ruled India, but was falling apart; British & Indian allies defeated France & Indian allies, Britain #1 in India; British relied on Sepoy Indian soldiers to rule India
Describe 3 ways Japan created a culture of Nationalism among their people; what immediate effect did this have on foreign relations?
Abolished Feudal System (medieval class distinctions), created education system focused on national loyalty, military conscription (the draft) for all men; Japan renegotiated treaties with foreign powers to be treated as equals
What were 5 motivating factors behind European colonialism?
Spread Christianity & end the slave trade; industrialization required more natural resources; industrialized economies needed markets to sell to; colonies were symbols of power and prestige; (later) Social Darwinism believed in European racial superiority
What 3 new technologies made European expansion in Africa possible in the 1800s? What political problem made African resistance ineffective?
Tech: cure for malaria (Quinine, 1829); machine guns (Maxim, 1884); steam ships strong enough to go up difficult rivers
Politics: Many African ethnic groups were at war with each other.
Describe the Sepoy Mutiny: What caused it? What was the BEIC's role? How did Indian princes react? Why did it fail?
Caused by fears of religious and racist discrimination; BEIC handled it poorly and lost their position in India to the gov't; Indian princes mostly stayed loyal to British; failed because Sikhs & Hindus refused to work with Muslims (feared Mughal Empire)
How & why did Japan change during the Meiji Restoration? What examples did Japan follow? What was the Japanese people's attitude toward foreigners?
Japan realized it needed to modernize rapidly, or it would be crushed by more powerful foreign nations. Followed these examples: Germany for constitution & army, Britain for Navy, U.S. for education system. Japanese people mostly against letting foreigners into the country.
Describe the Sino-Japanese War & events leading to it: What was Japan's relationship with Korea before? What did Japan and China agree? What triggered the war? Who won? What did they gain?
1876: Japan forced Korea to open ports to Japan; 1885: Japan and China agree to keep troops out of Korea; 1894: Korean king asks China for help against rebellion, Japan sends troops to keep China out; 1895: Japan defeated China, a HUGE shock! Japan gained colonies such as Taiwan.
Describe Africa before European colonialism: ethnic groups, empires, relations with outside world; why didn't Europe colonize earlier?
Africa had hundreds of different ethnic groups, as well as large empires uniting some of them. Africa traded with the outside world, but strong African governments and armies kept European on the coast. Europeans were also limited by disease and limited transportation.
What were 3 negative outcomes of British Imperialism in India?
Replacing food crops with cash crops led to famine; restrictions on industry prevented economic independence; loss of political power for Indians over their own country
What was Japan like in the 17th-19th Centuries before modernization? Economy, Military, Foreign Policy
Why did things change so quickly?
Economy: farming; relatively prosperous time in Japanese history
Military: Shogun kept Daimyo in check, mostly peaceful
Foreign Policy: almost completely isolated from world
Change: U.S. Navy forced opening to trade in 1853; European powers joined in shortly thereafter
Describe the Russo-Japanese War: who fought it? What was the immediate cause? Who attacked first? Who won? What happened at the peace conference?
Russia and Japan, the 2 most powerful countries in Asia; Japan wanted Russia to promise to stay out of Korea, but Russia refused; Japan surprise-attacked Russia; Japan won, defeating the Russian Navy and kicking the Russians out of Korea; Pres. Teddy Roosevelt helped negotiate peace treaty, Japan got more colonies and Russia forced out of Manchuria
Describe the history of South Africa from 1650-1900: beginning of European colonization, the Zulus, the British, natural resources, the Boer War
Dutch began colonizing SA in 1652; Zulus created strong kingdom in SA in 1816; British took over Cape Town in 1800s, sparking conflict; gold and diamonds discovered, causing more conflict; British defeated Dutch in Boer War, using concentration camps :(
What were 4 positive outcomes of British Imperialism in India?
Improved railroads & infrastructure; modern sanitation & public health; more schools & literacy; peace between rival Indian princes
Describe Japanese imperialism in Korea: when did Japan annex Korea? What was their policy toward Korean education and media? What was their policy toward Korean farming & industry? What was the Korean response?
Japan annexed (took full control of) Korea in 1910; took over schools & newspapers to ban Korean language & teach Japanese subjects; took land from Korean farmers & gave it to Japanese settlers, promoted Japanese business & banned Korean business; Korea started major nationalist movement against Japanese imperialism.
Describe the Berlin Conference of 1884: why did it happen? Who was there? What did they agree? What happened next?
Europeans were afraid colonialism in Africa would lead to war, so 14 European nations met to agree to some rules - NO Africans were invited! To claim land, an empire needed to announce it and prove they could control it. Almost all of Africa claimed by European empires over the next 30 years.